Pretreatment components remove many of the contaminants from the wastewater to prepare the effluent for final treatment and dispersal into the environment. The level of treatment is selected to match the receiving environment and the intended use.
The quantity of contaminants is reduced to a level the soil can accept and treat. Many options exist for treatment prior to release into the receiving environment. Wastewater pretreatment components include septic tanks, trash tanks, and processing tanks, while aerobic treatment units, media filters, and constructed wetlands are considered advanced pretreatment components.